Wuhan, who reported the first COVID-19 cases to the world a year ago, has returned to normal life

In December, traffic in the city of Wuhan is not blocked by a bridge over the river. The picture is almost the same as it was before the pandemic. And in the so-called live food market, hundreds of shoppers rushed to buy fresh vegetables, live fish or frogs.

It has been almost a year since the city announced the world’s first boxes of COVID-19 in this type of market. While some other countries continue to be severely devastated by the subsequent pandemic, life in Wuhan has largely returned to its normal form.

“The whole world now lives like this (touched by the virus), I’m not just talking about Wuhan and China, many countries have to live with that, especially if we look at the United States. That is why I am not worried,” explains Nie Guangzhen, vendor of fish and vegetables.

She and the other shop owners on a narrow street belonging to a large live food market are not short of activity: they rush to make fish, which awaits many customers. Chen, a fishmonger who does not wear a mask, doubts the origin of the virus.

“It just came to our knowledge then. It probably did, don’t you think?” Says the man.

Information on Wuhan’s role in starting a coronavirus pandemic is still limited. 2019 December 31 China has notified the World Health Organization for the first time 27 cases of “viral pneumonia” in Wuhan. Earlier this year, the Wuhan leadership quickly introduced a strict 76-day quarantine.

Miles of solid yellow barricades stretched through empty city streets to arrest people who were at home and businesses closed. The number of infections is 11 million. it reached a population of 50,000, including nearly four thousand deaths. However, austerity measures have been effective. Uhane has been free of local outbreaks for several months. Today, Wuhan is no different from other Chinese cities, with crowded streets, traffic jams, and large concentrations in local parks.

Wuhan’s recovery is in stark contrast to other major economies in this period ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays. In the United States, the health care system is under tremendous strain, the number of cases is growing, and health officials are warning that the worst is yet to come. In the United States, 15,000 were registered last week. deaths: These were the deadliest seven days since the pandemic began in the country in April.

Some European countries are imposing strict restrictions on gatherings before Christmas, as the number of gatherings and festive parties is feared to skyrocket.

In Uhan, which has returned to normal life at first sight, the fear of the second wave, which has inundated many other cities and states, does not disappear. In residential complexes, employees check the codes on smartphones that record the situation of residents. In public parks, red signs urge people not to lose caution. Wearing masks is not mandatory, but most people wear them in public places.

“It seems to me that everyone is quite strict about prevention measures. When they leave home, people usually wear masks. I was leaving Wuhan, so I saw people in other places without masks,” says Hu Hang, a resident of 27 years.

Although shoppers have flooded the streets of Wuhan, some companies say their profits have yet to return to their previous normal levels. Li, 54, who sells food on Uhane Street, is experiencing a decline in commerce as people still cautiously return to the streets in large crowds.

“People resist going to the city to eat, they prefer to order something or make their own. In this way, meetings are avoided, ”explains Li.

His case perfectly demonstrates that although the city seems relaxed, the coronavirus and its consequences have not yet completely disappeared from the daily lives of most of its inhabitants.